What clinicians think of manualized psychotherapy interventions: findings from a systematic review

Abstract

This article reports a systematic review of the literature examining therapists’views and experiences of utilizing treatment manuals. Key databaseswere searched and a thematic narrative analysis was conducted. Twelvearticles were identified. The literature contains four distinct subthemes:(i) exposure to and use of manuals; (ii) therapists’ beliefs about manuals;(iii) therapist characteristics, such as age/gender/training and (iv) characteristicsof the work, such as client group. The analysis finds that clinicianswho have used manuals appraise them positively, and view them asfacilitating flexibility, allowing for therapeutic relationship and keepingtherapy on track. The review is a helpful contribution to the literatureand is a prompt to practitioners to consider their own views and exposureto manualized treatments and how this relates to generating the ‘hard’outcome data that governments and service commissioners internationallyfind credible and persuasive.